Press Releases

Wasserman Schultz Statement on the Affordable Care Act and EARLY Act Anniversary

Even as this law has faced unprecedented obstructionism at both the federal and state level, I have worked to improve and expand it. Today also marks the anniversary of the EARLY Act, which created a breast cancer early awareness and education program for young women. I passed the EARLY Act to empower young women with the information and resources needed to understand their breast health and the risks they face due to their background. I had no idea that as an Ashkenazi Jew I am much more likely to carry the BRCA 2 gene, which elevated my risk of cancer.

Wasserman Schultz Statement on the Affordable Care Act and EARLY Act Anniversary

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) issued the following statement today in celebration of the six-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act:

“Six years year ago, President Obama and Congressional Democrats came together to pass the Affordable Care Act, a landmark law that has helped 20 million Americans get access to quality, affordable health care.

“It outlawed discrimination against people like me, a breast cancer survivor, who have a pre-existing condition that before 2010 would have prevented us from obtaining health care. It also ensured that being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition – a long overdue and much-needed correction in our health care system.

“It guaranteed that young people can stay on their parents’ health insurance plans up to age 26 – which is critical as our nation continues recovering from an economic crisis where we were losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month at the end of the Bush Administration.

“It helped 1.7 million Floridians get quality, affordable health care – in just the past six months. If Governor Rick Scott would drop his inexplicable and stubborn refusal to accept Federal Medicaid expansion funds, another 750,000 people in the Sunshine State would benefit from the law’s reforms too.

“Even as this law has faced unprecedented obstructionism at both the federal and state level, I have worked to improve and expand it. Today also marks the anniversary of the EARLY Act, which created a breast cancer early awareness and education program for young women. I passed the EARLY Act to empower young women with the information and resources needed to understand their breast health and the risks they face due to their background. I had no idea that as an Ashkenazi Jew I am much more likely to carry the BRCA 2 gene, which elevated my risk of cancer.

“As a survivor, it is critical to me that I use my role as a Member of Congress to be a champion for young women. I was proud the EARLY Act was reauthorized in 2014, and that it received additional funding for it last year. I will continue working with members of the cancer community to build on our successes, including Vice President Biden and his inspirational National Cancer Moonshot.”